The Toyota Camry Solara competes in a segment of the auto industry
that has seen competitors axe coupes with regularity, some with long-
standing, nostalgic names. With Solara, Toyota is in a group building
sports coupes that place a premium on comfort rather than performance.

A convertible Solara has just been introduced, but the coupe is
available in base SE, the luxurious SLE or as our tester for the week,
the mid-trim SE V6.

OUTSIDE - The old Camry Coupe was simply a two-door version of the
sedan. Solara's strong, precise lines are tight, its flat surfaces are
elegant character traits and its long, sculpted coupe body style, large
tail lights and modest spoiler add up to a good-looking combination. It
has a distinctive front end with trapezoidal headlights and grille and a
lower valance that mirror this theme. Solara rides on a unibody platform
shared mostly with the Camry, but its sheetmetal is unique. The rear end
styling is singular and there are strong character lines running from
nose to tail. The long heavy doors look good but are awkward to use. On
the SE V6 version, the standard tire/wheel combination is a lackluster
set of steel wheels and wheelcovers with 205/65R15 tires. Our car came
this way, but Solara can be had with larger alloy wheels and tires.

INSIDE - As expected from Toyota, the interior is both comfortable
and ergonomically correct. Reaching for controls and switches is not a
stretch, and they work with a reassuring click. The dashboard looks as
if it took styling cues from the upscale Lexus SC coupe, with sweeping
accents that blend into the doors. The front seats are large and
enveloping, with wide seatbacks and long lower cushions. Our tester had
soft, durable fabric upholstery, although leather is an option. Even the
rear seat is comfortable, which is rare in a coupe, and climbing back
there is helped by those long doors. Standard SE V6 features include air
conditioning, cruise control, power windows, outside mirrors and door
locks, AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo, variable speed intermittent wipers and
a tilt steering column.

ON THE ROAD - Camry Solara comes with two engine choices. The first
is a fuel-stingy 2.2 liter four cylinder. Its 136 horsepower and 150
lb-ft of torque is enough for a car that weighs on average almost 200
pounds more than a Camry sedan - but barely. We've driven Camrys with
this unit and found that although it is short on power, it's smooth
enough and it gives lots of miles between fill-ups. Our powerplant of
choice is the 3.0 liter V6 that produces 200 horsepower (198 in
California) and 214 lb-ft of torque. It is ultra-smooth, powerful and so
quiet that it's difficult to hear it running when the windows are up. It
uses twin cam, four-valve heads with a sophisticated multi-point fuel
injection system. Mated to this is either a five-speed manual
transmission or an electronically-controlled four-speed automatic.
Traction control is available on SLE models.

BEHIND THE WHEEL - The suspension is a MacPherson strut-type system
at all four corners, just as with the Camry sedan. But in an effort to
give it a more sporting attitude, the body structure was stiffened using
a cross brace between the front strut towers and a strengthening of the
bulkhead between the trunk and the cabin. Toyota also increased the
spring rates and gave it unique bushings for less suspension compliance.
The ride is noticeably stiffer than with the Camry sedan, and the amount
of body roll as the weight of the car shifts in turns is well controlled
with almost no harshness over big bumps. Its rack-and-pinion steering
system has been re-valved to provide well-weighted, nicely progressive
steering, eliminating some of the numbness of the Camry sedan's
handling. Braking duties are done by a front disc/rear drum setup on
four cylinder models with an optional anti-lock braking system (ABS).
Four-wheel discs with ABS is standard on V6 models.

SAFETY - Dual dashboard airbags, ABS and side-impact door beams are
standard; side airbags and traction control are optional.